


Catch Me on the Dance Floor

by tkeii



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Music, Awkward Tsukishima Kei, Clubbing, Comedy, DJ AU, DJ Tsukishima Kei, Drug Use, Eventual Romance, Explicit Language, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Innuendo, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Minor Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Secret Identity, Slang, Texting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:00:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29236479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tkeii/pseuds/tkeii
Summary: Yamaguchi Tadashi is a die-hard fan of the renowned DJ TKeii. Although his identity being kept a secret behind a disguise, Yamaguchi finds himself enamoured by his love for music and charming personality.  Strangely enough, schoolmate Tsukishima Kei starts to remind Yamaguchi of someone he can't quite place his finger on.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	1. Don't Club on School Nights

**Author's Note:**

> another one of my discontinued works that is now being picked up again lol yeah I promised back in the day I would bring the fic that inspired my username so here it is winkwonk ;) enjoyyy

The pounding music inside of the humid and barely lit club made all moral thoughts disappear. Yamaguchi began coughing when the smoke from the machine began blowing in his face. People began walking around him and dancing to the heavy music. The smell and the horny people dancing all over each other made Yamaguchi regret leaving his house. With all the power left in his body he reached out to grab Hinata's hand in desperation. Bodies pushed him aside and made a human barrier between the two of them— only until Yamaguchi squeezed through the free space like a struggling baby chick trying to eat did it break. A heavy breath was released from his mouth, "S-Shouyou!"

Cup in hand and no outward sign of distress, Hinata waved and bounced to the beat. "Hey! What's up, Yamaguchi?! Having fun?!" He yelled so his voice could be heard. 

Yamaguchi shook his head and covered his mouth so he wouldn't choke in the smoke. "I want to go home! This place smells like.. shit!" He spoke in a cautious voice so he wouldn't offend anyone who'd be listening to them. "This is the worst club in the city!"

Another glass of fruity alcohol was placed in Hinata's hand and he passed it to Yamaguchi. "It isn't the worst! It's actually the best! Come on! Have some fun! Look at Tobio! He's having a blast!" He pointed at Kageyama who was piss-drunk and dancing like a child with the other people from their group. 

Yamaguchi laughed nervously. "Um.. good for him.. but I don't think I can do this! I really got to--"

"Why leave when that DJ guy you like is here?! Don't you _loooove_ that guy?!" He exaggerated his speech. 

More bodies came around and slowly pushed Yamaguchi to the dance floor that face the main stage. The DJ booth was set up and the graphics casted on the fabric backdrop read the name of the DJ. Yamaguchi held onto his shirt to feel his nervous heart beating. The only reason why he wanted to come to the city's most busiest club was to see his favourite DJ. Not only was he charismatic, but he was mysterious. The crowd began to scream in anticipation when the DJ finally came out. Yamaguchi struggled to keep a view of the stage but managed to push his way up.

_"WELCOME TO THE STAGE! DJ.. TKEII!"_ The large bouncer screamed into the microphone. 

The DJ wore a white mask covered in spray paint that created a smile. Although his identity was unknown by the public, he was loved more than any other DJ for his personality. The DJ adjusted his headphones and threw a peace sign in the air. "Let's get hyped up!" The screams of the crowd ensued. 

All of Yamaguchi's fears faded when he screamed out with the rest of the crowd. He felt free and unbothered. The way the DJ had nothing to worry about on the daily and was known and loved was something Yamaguchi idealized. The escape through music brought him to someone who brought him comfort. Just another person who didn't know of his existence but he didn't mind it when it came to the DJ. When he screamed embarrassing things and danced like a madman on the dance floor, he hoped the DJ didn't notice him.

The music began to calm down which in turn made the clubbers relax and slow dance with their partners. Yamaguchi was finally given his space yet he felt a sting in his heart. Watching everyone with their partners amplified his loneliness and meaningless love life. He rubbed the nape of his neck and shut his eyes for a moment to soothe himself. Not even any of the drunk patrons of the club wanted to go near him— that was rough. He even thought he made himself look his best. His eyes wandered towards the stage and he stared at DJ TKeii taking a breather. To his surprise, Yamaguchi watched him lift his mask up slightly to take a drink. The smirk he had when he drank was somewhat familiar but not clear where from. He stared at the DJ's blond hair peeking out from his hoodie and blinked in surprise. His eyes wandered down and he noticed that his ring and middle fingers were taped together with white sports tape. More questions began filling his head. 

A rough looking man grabbed his shoulder. "Does anyone know who that guy is? He seems cool!"

"No! People have been saying he's like a politician or something! But that sounds weird!" Yamaguchi began. 

_"WHAT?! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"_ The man yelled.

" _NO! THEY SAY HE'S A POLITICIAN BUT THAT SOUNDS LIKE BULLSHIT!"_ Yamaguchi raised his voice all he could so he could be heard. The man nodded as a response and shuffled away. The smoke machine released more smoke that made Yamaguchi cough while others laughed at him. He frowned and looked at the stage again. Something about his taped fingers was interesting. It didn't help that he had a generic voice so he couldn't place who he could be. The DJ began hyping up the crowd by cheering with them yet before he could get into the vibe for longer, the sound of gasps and running caught his attention. 

A few of his classmates grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him out. "Let's go, Yamaguchi! Kageyama is totally fucked over! Plus someone ratted us out for going out! Let's go! Let's go!"

"W-Wait no! I'm not done! Wait a minute! Wait--" The last thing he saw was the smoke covering the neon lights from the stage and the DJ's hand raised up. 

* * *

The sun peered through the curtains and woke Yamaguchi up from his not so restful slumber. The distant sound of the toilet seat moving and groans made him open his eyes in curiosity. The sound disappeared and reappeared slowly like a machine In frustration, he rubbed his face and got off his bed to find the source of the sound. 

Hinata stood in the kitchen and smiled brightly. "H-Hey.. Good morning, Yama--" The groans became louder and made his sweat more. "Um.. nothing is wrong! I swear!"

"Kageyama?" Yamaguchi sighed.

"Yeah.. I don't think he can come today.. you can go without us.." 

"Both of you aren't coming in?"

"Yeah.. I'm gonna have to clean up and drag him out of there.." Embarrassed, he covered his face and waved goodbye. "Shouldn't you go now?" 

The clock was clicking and when Yamaguchi stared at it he gasped and rushed to change and get all of his books and pens together. He ran to the washroom, climbed over Kageyama's body lying on the floor, and washed his face and teeth quickly. As he put his shoes on he waved goodbye. "See you later!" Before he could get a response he slammed the door and ran down the hall. Anxiety made his heart race— he barely had time to check if his hair was presentable. He hoped that running at Olympic level speed would let the wind magically style his hair. 

The only good thing about his situation was that his dorm was only a two minute walk— one minute if he ran to the main building. His calves were flaming with pain and begging for mercy but he couldn't stop, not even to breathe. He made his way to his classroom but to his surprise the door was locked. His heart dropped and he awkwardly looked around. If a student was late for class, they'd have to walk in shame towards the front of the lecture hall. The thought of it made him shiver. All in all he was a good student— never late, good grades, good behaviour. He couldn't believe that the day after meeting his most favourite person in the world would be the day he disappointed his favourite professor. 

The presence of someone standing beside him made him look up. A friendly student from his class crossed his arms and laughed. "Hey, Tadashi." 

"I didn't realize I woke up so late! I don't want to have to make the walk down--"

The student lifted his phone to show him the email. "Class is cancelled for today.. You should check your emails more often.. he sent this out last night. " He smiled and looked at the students sitting at the tables in the hall. "They were trying to get your attention too.. Relax, man.. Rely on us a bit.." He rubbed his shoulder. 

Yamaguchi breathed out in relief and felt his calves begin throbbing in pain. "I really woke up for nothing.." 

"No it's good you woke up.. he assigned a reading for us to complete before Wednesday's class so you should do that.."

Yamaguchi bowed and collected himself before turning away to walk towards the library. There was little to worry about now that he knew that he wouldn't have to have to do the walk of shame in front of the 42 other students in his language class. The chatter in the hall caught his attention when a peculiar topic was brought up. 

"How long is that cool DJ guy from out of town going to be here?" The girls talked near their lockers. 

"He's coming again tomorrow night and Friday. Are you going to see him?" 

Yamaguchi held the urge to jump in happiness. It was the first time he was able to see the DJ in person and hearing that he was going to be around for a few more days relieved him. He knew that he would never be noticed but just seeing him was an experience he would kill for. 

He shook his head and returned to reality. It was strange for him to like a DJ of all people. It's not like he was a life-changing celebrity— nevertheless Tadashi thought he definitely was life-changing. He threw his bag on the table and sat down. He lifted his head up to face the ceiling and breathed out heavily. He began questioning why he liked DJ TKeii so much. His personality? His voice? His hands? He shook his head again to shake away the perverted thoughts. There was barely any physical attributes that Tadashi could admire. He spaced out and began thinking about what he saw the previous night. Maybe he was into blonds.. He began laughing to himself. 

Voices from across the room became louder. Yamaguchi turned his head to look at the group of students surrounding the small table. 

"Tsukishima, p-please! We need you to--" The smaller one of the group started.

Tsukishima pointed at the headphones on his own head and ignored them. "Business hours are from three to five. I'm taking a break right now."

The boy in the middle bowed his head and began to bed. "Please, Tsukishima! We need you to do this for us for just an hour!" 

"Come back during business hours, thank you, dear customer!" He faked a smile before returning to his sour mood. He crossed his arms and began writing in his notebook. "Don't linger around me, it's annoying.." 

The students finally gave up and left Tsukishima alone. For a moment they were scolded by the librarian for being too loud and for bothering students who were studying. Yamaguchi couldn't help but watch the whole ordeal. He had never seen any of them before so they couldn't have been anyone important around school. The music escaped Tsukishima's white headphones and echoed into the quiet library. No one seemed to care but Yamaguchi who I gently stared at him with an itching curiousity. It was just Tsukishima Kei from statistics class— he wasn't anyone _that_ important. He heard from a few other students that he was good at math and was on the school's sports team. He took a double take and blinked in surprise. _Sports team_. He felt as if he knew him but it must have been because he watched one of the games.

The beat from Tsukishima's headphones was fast and he moved his head from side to side as he wrote in his book. When he finished writing he folded his book up and tapped his fingers on the table in contemplation.

His fingers.. Yamaguchi thought to himself. They were long, pale, and taped— just like the DJ. Yamaguchi lifted his hands and leant back in his chair as if he was shot. It was almost strange, Tsukishima was also blond. There weren't many blonds in the area so he stuck out like a sore thumb. He had to admit that he was kind of cute, maybe his type _was_ blond. His attitude was lacking in the excited category but who wasn't annoyed at least once a week? Yamaguchi slapped his own cheek and blushed. He needed to stop comparing his idols to random people at his school, especially a random guy in his statistics class.

The feeling of someone watching him made Tsukishima turn his head in the direction of Yamaguchi's table. He looked at him with a raised brow and blinked. "Do you need help?" He gave him a cheeky grin out if frustration.

That was a first— he was noticed by someone. Yamaguchi pointed at him and had an expression of shock and disbelief plastered on his exhausted face. Definitely the same chin structure and mouth. The more he stared at his face and body language the more Tsukishima's vibe was exactly like his idol's. He held his hand up to tell him to wait and began writing in his notebook. Once he was done he cautiously looked around him before he showed it to him. 

_"You kind of look like Dj TKeii. Has anyone told you that?"_ Was written on the lined paper with messy writing and ink blots from his broken pen. 

Tsukishima twitched and removed his headphones. He struggled to reach into his bag to find his sketchbook so he could respond. He looked annoyed and almost violent when he raised his notebook in return. 

" _Um, no? Are you an idiot? I am most definitely NOT that man.._ " Despite the response being beautifully handwritten, the expression on Tsukishima's face made it clear that he was in a bad mood.

Yamaguchi cocked a brow and flipped to a free paper. 

_"I didn't say you were him. I just said you looked like him."_

Tsukishima looked defeated. It seemed that he wasn't the best at lying. He flipped the page and wrote faster. " _Who do you work for and what do you want from me? Who sent you, exposer?_ "

A cold shiver went down Yamaguchi's back. Well, he didn't deny being DJ TKeii, in fact he basically admitted to it in a public library. Yamaguchi sighed and began to gather his things into his bag before more angry exchanges via notebook would ensue. He nervously got up and passed by Tsukishima's table and passed him a small piece of paper. "We're not done talking.. Text me.."

Tsukishima groaned and put his headphones back on. "I'm not in the mood of someone spreading rumours..." He muttered. He tapped on his sketchbook paper and gave him the pen. "Write your school ID number, full name, home address, dorm number, roommates, and phone number here." 

Yamaguchi raised a brow and sighed. "I-I promise I won't say anything about you.." Eye contact was enough to make him swallow in fear and write everything he wanted. Once he was done he held tightly onto his books and ran out of the library. "Damn what is up with him?!" He shivered. 

* * *

Despite having shaking hands after his encounter with Tsukishima he managed to open the dorm room fast and slammed it behind him. He leant his back against the door and breathed out in relief. Oddly, the dorm was completely silent. Yamaguchi swore under his breath. "Liars.. I thought they were going to be home all day.." He removed his shoes and stumbled towards his room. He jumped on his bed and exhaled. Thinking about the encounter made his heart race. Tsukishima was cute but the way he reacted made him feel as if he should have been quiet about his findings. But then again, it gave him an opportunity to talk to someone at school and most importantly DJ TKeii himself. He flipped over on his back and blushed. He couldn't really believe it was plain old Tsukishima Kei who ate the same sandwich at lunch every day. It sounded like the lamest cover up story. Yet, he believed be must have been the luckiest person in the world to know what the DJ looked like under his mask. It was nice to know he was indeed attractive.

Vibrations from his pocket made him stop for a second. He reached into his pants to pull out his phone to check who was spamming him. 

It was a DM request on Instagram from someone he didn't know. The little profile picture of a toy dinosaur wrapped in a burrito blanket caught his attention and made him laugh. After a second of initial laughter hiss eyes shifted to the message and he sighed deeply. His anxiety made him hesitant to open it. 

_**k.tsukishimaaaa**_ : _so who tf are you?? are you with the newspaper guys or smthn? can I pay you to keep quiet?_

Yamaguchi prepared himself for the worst and accepted the request. 

_**yamatad** : bro im just a fan relax lol _

It took awhile for Tsukishima to respond. The notification that he was typing stopped five times then resumed keeping Yamaguchi in anticipation. 

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : FaN??? _

_…_

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : WhY cant u be normal and come up to me like a proper fan?! '凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 _

_…_

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : u made me all nervous thinking u were another one of those exposers bro (i got threatened to get exposed last thurs by this lame ass dude from the basketball team lmao) _

_**yamatad** : man idk lololol u looked hella busy + didnt know it was actually u _

_**yamatad:** um..._

_**yamatad** : nice to meet u ⊙▽⊙! im tadashi from ur stats class :)_

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : lmao_

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : wtf_

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : i already know who u are lmao wth _

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : didnt we do that one presentation together like last semester?? _

Yamaguchi gasped and covered his mouth in embarrassment. 

_**yamatad** : HAVE WE MET B4????? I LITERALLY DONT RMBR MEETING U WHAT?!_

_…_

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : bruh r u ok? lmao_

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : how do u not remember me? u asked me to check ur spelling for the project in the group chat _

After a few seconds Tsukishima sent a screenshot of Yamaguchi talking to the other members in the group chat from last semester as proof. 

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : this u?_

Yamaguchi leant back in his seat and felt himself spiritually die from embarrassment. His fingers began to shiver as he responded. 

_**yamatad** : im sorry king (;﹏;) _

_**yamatad** : i cant believe i forgot abt internet famous dj tkeii_

_.._

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : lol_

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : u funny asf dude get ur beauty sleep or smthn _

_.._

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : so what now?? u gonna tell ur friends about me _

_**yamatad** : nah they aren't into music and stuff_

_.._

_**yamatad** : u wanna have lunch together tmr or?? u busy?_

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : wow ive never been asked on a date before at least remember me first _

_**yamatad** : ITS NOT A DATE AND IM SORRY AGAIN_

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : it's not a date? :(_

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : lmao jk idc what u call it_

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : we're in the same classes remember?? so just meet me after 10_

_**yamatad** : WE HAVE THE SAME CLASSES?_

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : bro. the block button looks kinda nice rn_

_**yamatad** : SORRY sorry!!!_

_…_

_**yamatad** : after first period.. wanna meet in hall outside class? _

_…_

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : sure sounds good _

_**k.tsukishimaaaa** : see ya. don't be late or im doxxing u_

Yamaguchi put his phone down and covered his face that was completely red. "I can't believe I managed to score a.. date.. with him of all people…" His smile slowly fell when he began to think logically. "He's not gonna beat me up, right?... I hope not.."


	2. Definitely not a SoundCloud Rapper

The professor’s voice disappeared with the ambient noise the more he rambled about useless topics unrelated to the class. They started the class talking about the population of students who don't use technology but now switched to why the professor thought the current generation was the worst. The rest of the class stared at him like he was crazy. Tsukishima on the other hand wished he just skipped the class for the day. His thoughts began to wander elsewhere.. Yamaguchi _Tadashi_ — that was a name he hadn’t heard of in a while. He wasn’t exactly popular but Tsukishima always managed to catch a glimpse of him every day. His eyes moved down the walls and stopped near the west entrance of the room. Yamaguchi always sat in the seat nearest to the door and was always the first to leave. It was a good technique considering there were over 30 other students in the class that would plow through the doors as soon as the professor finally shut his mouth. An uncomfortable feeling suddenly attacked Tsukishima which made him twitch on the hard and cold chair. _Yamaguchi Tadashi_ — the name was repeated in his head in curiosity. 

His phone was oddly quiet for once. No spam emails from suspicious ‘businesses’, no annoying texts from his family or the overbearing students who made him do too much service work, nothing. His fingers instinctively reached into his pocket, however, before he could start a new conversation with Yamaguchi over text, the sound of the students packing up for the day startled him. He swore mentally, he needed to get out of the class fast before the crowd swallowed him. Thankfully his somewhat athletic body could shove through a few of the people like an angered bull. The little cowlick at the top of Yamaguchi’s head helped find the way through the moving bodies.

Tsukishima slipped his headphones down when he thought he finally found a safe space and waved. "Hey, Yamaguchi.." The crowd of other students from their class shoved their way passed him and he struggled to stay in place. The crowd acted like waves and carried Yamaguchi farther away. Tsukishima began to sweat and he reached out. "Y-Yamaguchi! Yamaguchi--" He shoved the other students away and glared at them. 

"Watch where you're going, you french fry! Didn’t you and the other volleyballers lose your last game? What a fucking loser." One of the students shoved him back and laughed.

Tsukishima made a fist and groaned. It’s not like he was butthurt over losing his game, he was more hurt at the fact he was called a french fry over any other food. The anger was released through another exhale yet when he looked into the crowd once more and lost sight of Yamaguchi's head. He leant against the wall as if he was a hurt soldier. "This has to be some kind of curse.." 

A light touch on his wrist made Tsukishima raise a brow. A smaller student with grey hair smiled at him brightly. "Are you looking for someone, Tsukishima?"

"Student vice-president Sugawara.." The tone of his voice was monotone to show his disappointment. "I'm just.. waiting for a classmate.. Yamaguchi.."

Sugawara nodded and laughed. "I know it's hard to meet up when everyone leaves the lecture hall all at once.. But.. he's standing right there.." He pointed at the wall across from them. "He's been waiting there for a while so you should go before he gets impatient.." He whispered to spare his pride. 

Shame enveloped his ego. Tsukishima raised his glasses and bowed to Sugawara. "Thanks.. Bye.." He held tightly onto his bag and shamefully walked towards Yamaguchi. ".. and I have glasses for what?" He muttered to himself. 

The mood brightened when they were reunited. Yamaguchi stood up properly and waved. "Hey, Tsukishima.. I thought I lost you back there.." To cover his red face he bowed sharply before him. “It’s nice to meet you! I’m a big fan! It really is an honour, Tsukishima! I’m sorry for bothering you I just.. Didn’t know someone I idolized could be someone I know--”

Tsukishima placed a finger to his lip to encourage him to lower his voice. The other students in the hall stared at the both of them in confusion. He hoped that they didn’t think he was extorting money. A few seconds of silence made the bystanders bored and they slowly returned to their daily plans. "Keep quiet about that stuff…" He checked his watch. "So.. we gonna eat now?" 

"Yeah! I'd love to buy you something at the burger place across the street!" Yamaguchi's smile comforted Tsukishima's bitter mood. "That is.. if you like burgers and stuff.." He began to lead the way to the location.

“Burgers are cool…” Tsukishima said stoically. 

The ensuing silence felt like a wall between them and quickly dampened the mood once more. Despite being the happiest that he had ever been, Yamaguchi felt nervous. He swallowed while thinking of small talk to keep the conversation going. “U-Um.. So.. Do you have a textbook for the class? I haven’t bought mine yet so I think I’ve been a bit confused..”

Tsukishima gave him a smirk that almost felt as if he pitied him. There was however no malice in the expression or his body language. “You shouldn’t be asking your _date_ school related questions.. I thought you asked me out to interrogate me about my night job..” he joked with him.

“I-I r-really didn’t know if y-you were comfortable with me c-coming up to you with all those questions!” Yamaguchi slapped his mouth to stop himself from rambling. He looked to the floor and held tightly onto the strap of his messenger bag. “I’m being honest when I say I idolize you.. I mean.. DJ TKeii.. You’re one of the celebrities that made me feel comfortable.. I feel like you genuinely enjoy music unlike a lot of other people.. So it means a lot to talk to you personally.. Wow this is embarrassing.. Sorry.” 

Tsukishima kept quiet for a moment to process his response. “We’re classmates.. You don’t have to be so formal and all... “ 

“Yeah.. you’re right!” Yamaguchi laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re just Tsukishima Kei from statistics class so I shouldn’t be so afraid.. But it’s nice to finally talk to you personally.. I see you around campus.. Ah… looks like we’re here!” The outside of the restaurant looked clean and professional. There were a selection of foods listed on the chalkboard outside the front window and flowering plants nicely decorated the entrance. Yamaguchi decided to be a gentleman and opened the door for Tsukishima to enter before him. The aroma of different flavours made their stomachs rumble. On healthier days the smell of the grease would make them sick but since it was their first meals of the day it smelt heavenly. 

The confusing font along with the complicated names of the meals made Tsukishima cock a brow. “What does ‘Fire in the hole’ mean? Is that even a burger?” 

“That’s a breakfast bagel with eggs and hot sauce I think… Sorry, I know the names are kinda weird but this place is the best!” Yamaguchi blushed. “Ah.. I’ll just surprise you! You can sit wherever! I’ll pay and pick it up!” 

Other than the old man sitting alone in the centre of the restaurant, the seats were empty. Tsukishima felt relieved to have a mostly private place to talk. He hated when people listened to his conversations. He walked towards the back seating booth with a large window overlooking the streets. The cushioned seats helped his sore back feel comfortable after the two hour lecture on the world’s most painful chair. He thought to maybe bring the issue up with the student union but after remembering the debt the school owed he began to reconsider. He shut his eyes for a moment and chuckled. Thinking about the comfortability of chairs while on a ‘date’ with a classmate was funny. His eyes wandered over to Yamaguchi who awkwardly stood at the front waiting for the order. Something in Tsukishima’s gut made him shuffle in his seat again. He looked away again and ran his fingers through his hair. “Yamaguchi Tadashi…” He repeated with a troubled voice.

The smell of fries came closer to the table. Yamaguchi smiled and held the order on a green tray. “I hope you like this! It’s the order I always get when I have the time to walk over here!” He sat across from him after setting the tray down. 

Tsukishima sighed. "We're really this broke.. huh?" He stared at the large basket of fries, two palm sized burgers, and the one strawberry milkshake that had two straws in it so they could share it. 

Yamaguchi cleared his throat. "S-Sorry.. my hours got cut recently.. You know cause I’m a student so I’m kinda unreliable.. Kinda sucks but hey, I still have money for a good burger!"

“If you were broke, I could have bought my own food..”

“No! I can’t let you do that! I already promised to buy you something!” Yamaguchi was adamant. He breathed out and nodded. “My treat to the best DJ-- schoolmate out there! Um… like you said we worked on that presentation together that one time so.. Here’s my thanks!”

A short hum came from Tsukishima’s as if he was going to start talking but then stopped. He grabbed a fry while keeping eye contact with him. "I'm still wondering.. how could you forget me? We even talked in person.. Like.. off campus too.." 

"I'm not even sure how.. I'm really tired these days. I barely remember what I did two days ago!" He laughed at himself.

Tsukishima's expression fell. "You seriously don't remember meeting me?"

Yamaguchi blinked. "D-Did something happen between the two of us?"

Tsukishima groaned and shook his head. "No.. nothing in particular, I guess.” 

Yamaguchi cocked a brow. “I’m.. sorry? Was it something important? I was really in a terrible mindset last semester so--”

“It’s nothing.. It was just a one off situation…” Tsukishima tried to end the conversation.

The more the question was ignored the more Yamaguchi began to feel insecure. “D-Did.. I do something to hurt you? Did we fight? I know I got in a few disputes with people in that literature class which is why I didn’t feel too good.. I’ll apologize now if I did something..”

Tsukishima chewed on the fries without any worries. “Seriously.. It wasn’t anything bad.. Just.. we previously met at the first year party in July.. I just thought we were close friends but I guess not..” He leant forward towards the straw and kept eye contact with him while drinking from it. His fingers gently held the straw to support it. 

The way he looked at him made Yamaguchi turn red again. He lifted his small burger towards his mouth to help him from being any more awkward. The July first year’s party— a foggy memory from the back of his conscience. All he could remember was meeting the student union and Hinata encouraging him to drink more alcohol. From his experience, he knew his drunk self would always share too much information. “I don’t usually do drugs.. It was my first party in University so my roommate wanted me to have a bit of fun.. I’m sorry..”

“Forget it,” Tsukishima’s words were sharp and almost spiteful. He cleared his throat and looked out the window. “So… how did you end up finding out about my night job? You don’t strike me as a guy who’d be into clubs and DJs…” 

The sudden expression of anger made Yamaguchi flinch. “Oh, I hate clubs… But the way you handle people with music.. Is really healing for me! I.. I actually saw you on a clip on Youtube.. I liked how you could be so free and say whatever you want.. I want to be like that.. I want to have that kind of creative escape.”

Tsukishima leant on his hand and stared at the basket of fries that were almost completely devoured. “I’m not as cool as you think I am.. I hate crowds and people too.. I do it because..” he stopped himself then shook his head. “I don’t really have a reason for being him. I just do it because I can..” 

“Everyone has a reason behind wanting to be someone they aren’t..” Yamaguchi frowned. “I hope… one day you’ll be able to come to terms with why you’re doing it.. But for now.. I like being able to escape with you through loud music.. Even if you didn’t know I existed until now.. Ah.. I mean.. Obviously we have met before.. But I’ve never seen you live so.. That’s what I mean..”

He didn't want to admit it but he was right. The taste of the small burger was full of flavours that were sweet and savoury. It was at least an eight on a scale from one to ten. With a few bites, the small burger was gone. Tsukishima crushed the wrapper in his hand and put it in the empty fry basket. “Thanks for the meal… One of the best burgers I’ve eaten…” 

It felt as if their time together was about to end— Yamaguchi needed to do something to keep them from parting ways. It wasn’t even night, he would feel like a failure if he only hung out with him for an hour. “Um.. did you want to come over to my dorm? We could study together! My roommates are getting some tutoring done at building C so they won’t be home until 9 tonight.. I think even later because they’re kinda irresponsible..” 

Tsukishima's eyes shifted to the side while his back went straight. He tried to pass his nervousness as something else but failed. “Dorm? Yours? Alone.. With you? Ah..”

“I promise I won’t be weird! I don’t have any photos of you in my dorm or anything! I just… um.. Wanted to hang out for a little longer.. Does that sound weird? I don’t really have a lot of friends.. This is so embarrassing..”

“Well.. it can’t be helped.. Let’s go… Gives us good time to study for that quiz next week.” 

Relief calmed his nerves. “Great! I’ll lead the way!

* * *

Dorm room ‘304’ was located down a long hallway on the third floor of the building. The incandescent lights were years old and struggled to properly light the hallway. The yellow colour emitting from the lights made the tacky wallpaper and the grey carpet even worse. The school was definitely too cheap to remodel anything. Once the door was unlocked, the fresh scent of laundry detergent and the eucalyptus from the aromatherapy diffuser lingered in the main room. Tsukishima removed his shoes and looked around the dorm. The kitchen was directly to his left and the living room was in straight across from where they stood. There was one hall that led to Yamaguchi’s room and the storage room on the left side and the other hall that led to Hinata and Kageyama’s room as well as the washroom. He cocked a brow when noticing the layout of the couch and T.V in the living room. “You guys got rid of the tacky white leather couch?” he noted.

Yamaguchi was confused. “Have you visited our dorm before?”

“Ah… yeah.. Just once though..” Tsukishima began to sweat nervously. 

“Ah! You must know Hinata, right? He’s like a frequent club go-er so you must see him every once in a while!”

“Yeah.. unfortunately… We aren’t close.. But yeah... I know his boyfriend because he's on the school's sports team.. Both of them are unbearable.. How can you room with both of them..” The tone of his voice was monotone yet irritated. He held his bag tightly while they stood in place in silence. Tsukishima pivoted and cleared his throat. “Nice couch by the way.. Looks more comfortable than the last one.. My thighs would stick to the leather when I last came so.. Nice.. The chairs at school suck.. Even the sofas in the lounge area feels like sand bags.. My back has been in complete pain for the last few months..”

The awkward moment became humorous. Yamaguchi began laughing loudly out of nowhere. “Are you a chair connoisseur? You seem to be really interested in chairs..” 

“I’m just a guy who advocates for better chairs so my flat ass can bear to sit in Professor Hishigawa’s two hour lectures of nonsense which makes me regret spending my eight thousand dollars on a post secondary degree that I probably won’t use.” Tsukishima shrugged and walked towards the couch to feel its warm fabric soothe his suffering back.

_Interesting turn of events_ , Yamaguchi thought to himself. He placed his hands together and smiled. “This may come as a surprise, Mr. Tsukishima sir.. But did you consider the fact that your posture is terrible so maybe it isn’t the poor chair’s fault for making your spine go berserk? I personally think those chairs are fine.. They have a little fabric piece for cushioning..” 

Tsukishima looked at him in shock as if he was a criminal. “You like.. The chairs at school? You masochist.. I thought only Hishigawa liked those cursed chairs...” 

A thought came to Yamaguchi’s head that made him gasp loudly. “I can’t believe I forgot! Professor Hishigawa assigned that presentation assignment over email! Do you have a partner? Can you please pair with me?! It would mean the world to me!” He got on his knees and placed his hands together. 

“Oh.. you’re begging me? How could I say no then?” he teased. He blinked in surprise when Yamaguchi covered his face. Right.. He couldn’t be so bold since Yamaguchi did idolize him. If he teased him too much he felt he would make him explode. “Uh.. yeah sure.. I was planning to do that alone but I don’t mind you as a.. _Partner_..” He muttered.

Yamaguchi’s expression went bright and he held his hands as a thanks. “Thank you so much! I don’t like doing big projects like that alone so this really means a lot.” He realized that he must have been too close so he pulled away. “S-Sorry!”

“You’re funny, man..” Tsukishima laughed and crossed his legs. It was still early in the day and homework was something he’d rather push to the side. If he could manage to find something to distract them from doing work he’d be able to rest for the first time in weeks. He placed a hand on his chin and hummed. "Are you following my SoundCloud?" 

"You have a SoundCloud?" 

"Yeah.. I make music sometimes…"

"Are you a rapper?"

Tsukishima opened his hand to point at his boring physical appearance with emphasis on his thrift store quality khaki pants hiding his mismatched dinosaur socks. "Does it look like I rap?"

"Well.. I mean… you barely even look like a singer..” 

"That’s the idea. Now follow me, I’ll follow back.. My username is ‘clubTK’.." He pulled his phone out to prepare to follow him back.

'clubTK' was a verified account with almost a million followers. The cover art of his songs were simple illustrations of objects and plants. From his aesthetic he could tell he made lofi-type beats which contrasted his hard club music. "Can I listen to one?" 

Luckily he was prepared for this moment. Tsukishima pulled out his wireless headphones and connected it to his phone. He placed the headphones on Yamaguchi's head and adjusted the volume. "Which one?"

"A-Ah.. The one with the animal crackers as a cover picture." 

The music shortly began playing. The music consisted of electronic percussion and piano. The beat was calm but the lyrics were powerful. Yamaguchi began to move his head to the music. It wasn't something that he was expecting but it was something he liked. 

The bass part of the instrumental echoed from the headphones. Tsukishima brought his legs to his chest and laid his head on his knees. He watched Yamaguchi listen to the music carefully and waited for him to give him feedback. "How was that one?"

"It was great! I loved the harmonies you added! I didn't know you could have such a chill vibe! Your stage music is so loud and rough! I could sleep with this one playing!" 

"Thanks.." Tsukishima looked down. He tried to recollect his thoughts before talking once more. "Hey.. would you mind if I stayed over today?"

Yamaguchi blinked in shock. "Stay over? Y-You?! Why? I thought you had a live show tonight at the club?"

Something was off about his attitude. "It got cancelled.. Some guy got stabbed at the last show show they're doing some investigating.. But.. I mean.. we are working on that presentation, right? I'll leave if you don't want me to bother your roommates.."

"O-Oh no, no! Stay here as long as you want mister T.K, Tsukishima Kei, sir! Ah.. but.. I don't want you to have to sleep on the couch because when my roommates come home they'll be really loud so..I can set up a futon!" He got up and began to clean up his room. 

Tsukishima watched him run down the left hallways and lifted his glasses with a laugh. _Yamaguchi Tadashi_.. he was just as funny as he remembered.


	3. In Your Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow im on a roll

There was an unconscious belief that something very obvious was flying over Tadashi’s head. It wasn’t the fact that his most favourite person was sleeping over at his dorm on the first ‘date’ as Tsukishima would put it or the fact that no violence was incited after their first interaction. A thump in Tadashi’s chest made him halt in the middle of the hallway as he began to process the situation. Tsukishima was notoriously known around campus to be blunt, unfriendly, and quiet. It was hard to express how he _actually_ was— in simple terms, Tadashi would describe his guest as being a sedated golden shepherd which was very far off from the rest of the school’s perception of him. Was it fan treatment? Or maybe it was because they were in the same classes. The previous conversation suddenly came back to mind. Their previous meeting was long forgotten. The disappointment Kei expressed enforced the idea that something must have happened between the two. Whether it was unpleasant or not was a mystery. It wasn’t worth digging for answers especially when the conversation ended so abruptly. He would be lying if he said it didn’t bother him at least a little. The clean sheets and blanket that rested in his arms began to slip from its tidy folds to the ground. A yelp of shock escaped his mouth and he rushed back to his room. 

For the most part, the room was quiet. The distant sound of neighbouring students’ yells penetrated the walls and the music from Tsukishima’s phone played softly. Tadashi lowered his head as an apology for the long wait. “I got these for you... It’s always nice to have clean ones! I guess I should get you some clothes… We should be the same size…”

Like usual, Kei nodded with not much to say in return. “Great…” 

It was nothing like his stage persona. Yamaguchi sometimes refused to believe the DJ was actually a quiet University student with hatred for almost everything. Other times he wondered if it was all a lie for a forced friendship to be built. He needed to stop doubting— his theory was disproved by social media platforms and common sense. Although Tsukishima would be someone he would ignore because of his uninteresting lifestyle, he was very attractive. Something about the ordinary human visage was charming. His short blond hair, his pale skin, his long fingers that were wrapped with white sports tape, his thin stature, his eyes… It was most likely his eyes that were compelling Tadashi to find him interesting. A sharp swallow brought him back to reality. Forcing a smile and placing his hands together to ground his ideas, he giggled. "You know what? You’re friendlier than I thought you'd be! People say you're hard to talk to... I'm surprised you came over... It's okay to say no to me!"

"I would have said no if I wanted to.."

_ Shit _ . Tadashi swore in his head. Small talk and baseless conversation were futile. He took a step in the wrong direction and an invisible wall separated them from talking freely. He needed to be kind, but also respect the boundaries laid before him. “Um... You can sit on my bed if you want... It’s more comfortable than my desk chair… It was a ‘gift’ from some upperclassmen taking civil engineering… I complained about not having money for a desk chair and they stole it from the lounge and delivered it here.” 

Tsukishima shoved his hands in his pockets. His shaky legs made it obvious that his legs were in pain from standing for too long. “Thank you for the offer but I’m currently wearing the clothes I’ve worn outside.” 

“What’s wrong with that? You can sit down?”

“You’re… okay with that?” Tsukishima cocked a brow in disbelief.

“Of course! Clothes are clothes! Get comfortable, you’ll be here for a while!” 

Anxiety, humility, and shyness was not a good mix. It locked Kei’s legs from moving any closer to the bed. The laidback attitude contrasted with his own personal habits of oddly specific hygiene practices. Clothes that were worn outside, even for a millisecond, were considered unclean and  _ must  _ be changed out of before sitting in something so intimate as a bed. Yet, if the homeowner insisted he sat, he had to oblige. He brought his body down on the bed and kept an appropriate distance between them. He hoped that he wasn’t acting suspicious— he was just uneasy. The bed was in fact very comfortable. He gave into defeat and lowered his gaze to the floor. “I should be apologizing for asking to stay over without warning.” 

“You’re fine, I really don’t mind. I don’t have a lot of people over so this is so exciting for me. Especially since it’s you…” A gentle smile was projected while his freckled face went red. “It’s nice to know that you don’t find me weird or anything. My roommates think I’m kind of strange for liking a ‘barely even’ musician. That’s what Kageyama calls DJs. I’d beg to differ! Your music is great! Even if you remix and stuff. I saw from your SoundCloud that you’re definitely the best musician out there!”

“Am I?” 

The expression on Tsukishima’s face, whenever they would meet eyes, felt sorrowful. Those eyes of his were unlike everyone else's' that often overlooked all the inconveniences in life as well as people they deemed ‘uncool’. They carried the burden of his hidden emotions behind the beautiful light brown colour. Tadashi could only assume it must have been the pressure of trying to be perfect. His stage persona never had to deal with stress, rejection, or peer pressure. Although Kei clearly stated he had no purpose of creating an alter ego, the faults in his words began to disintegrate just like a mask to reveal the truth shamefully written on his face. 

Tadashi hesitated to talk. "If you knew me… then why did you pretend like we were strangers when I saw you in the library? Maybe a little reminder would help me remember you."

A hard exhale showed his frustration at the topic yet again. "It doesn't matter. You were drunk anyway so what you did doesn't reflect who you really are."

"Have you ever gotten drunk? Because you're definitely wrong there," Yamaguchi said. "You'd look prettier if you were drunk."

The thought of alcohol made Kei's stomach twist in disgust. There was nothing good about alcoholism, for starters it always tasted bad no matter what was mixed with it, and secondly, people would make fools of themselves. "No thanks, I don't like bitter things… It's so gross…" 

"Too bad. I can get you a few drinks next time if you're up to it. There are a few sweet ones out there."

The way Tsukishima leant back on the headboard was slightly sensual. His cardigan slipped off his left shoulder to reveal his white t-shirt that slightly showed his collarbone. He smirked while he lowered his gaze at him. "I'll make it up to you… Buy me one when you come to my next show and I'll drink it just for you… I assume you'll come for me again since I am your most favourite person in the world…" His relaxed speaking voice was silvery. 

"I.. uh... Obviously, I want to see you on stage again… I was under the impression you were from out of town so I thought I’d never see you in person again… that's what everyone else says…" He became distracted when staring at him. "Are you not from Sendai?"

"No, I come from out of town.." He explained. 

For a moment, Yamaguchi became disheartened. “You’re not going to move back when you’re done studying here, are you?”

“Does it matter if I go back? You’ll see me on the internet, won’t you?”

“Yeah but… We’re friends now aren’t we? I’d be a little sad to see you leave.” 

Tsukishima averted his eyes and nodded. “Friends? Are we--” 

The echo of the front door slamming open startled them both. It was only 8 PM, no one was supposed to be home yet. Tadashi became more nervous when possible scenarios popped into his head. He was proud to finally have someone over at the dorm, but then again, Shouyou would bombard his guests with questions that were often too personal. Knowing Tsukishima’s reserved personality, those kinds of questions would make him uncomfortable. 

The room had no hiding spots. The underside of his bed was in clear view of the entrance, the closet couldn’t close properly due to the broken latches, the desk was too small for anyone to hide underneath. He had no other choice than to do the most embarrassing thing he could think of. He grabbed Kei by the shoulders and pushed him on his bed. He moved the pillows around and rolled his body like a sushi roll in the blanket. With some finishing touches, he threw the duvet over the entire bed, placed his body pillow on top to mask his figure, and placed the pillows strategically. He felt bad that it was the only thing he could do for him to save him from any inconvenient confrontations. A shivering hand lifted the pillow that covered Tsukishima’s shocked face. "I'm really sorry I have to do this to you but I don't want them to question you so be quiet please!" He placed the pillow back on his face and sat on his bed cross-legged when hearing Hinata’s loud stomps come closer to the room. 

Shouyou began talking even before opening the door. Loud groans fueled his annoyance further. "Gee! It was rough down there! I wanted to go home straight away but they kept asking me to solve questions!" 

"Oh really?" Tadashi smiled and opened his body a bit more in hopes that his unsuspecting visitor wouldn’t join him on the bed. 

Shouyou noticed him hog the bed and let out a frustrated breath. In rebellion, he walked over and colonized Tadashi’s lap. "You know what they were making me do?! They were asking me to do equations with weird symbols in it! I think they call it a ‘charisma’ or something like that.”

“I think you mean ‘sigma’.” 

A whisper came from underneath the pillows, “How did this guy even graduate High School let alone get into one of Sendai’s best Universities? Did his parents get him accepted through donation or something?” 

"What was that noise?" Hinata gasped.

Tadashi laughed out loud to cover up the mysterious response. “Ah.. anyway, don’t pressure yourself! I know you can do it! Math isn’t that bad, you just have to have fun with it!"

“I don't get it!" Shouyou complained and faked a cry. A thought came back to his head and reminded him of his purpose for coming to his room. "Oh by the way.. did your feet grow? What's up with the huge shoes out there? It's bigger than my head." 

"Oh! Uh… they're shoes I offered to clean for a friend.." he lied.

"They look pretty clean to me.."

"The soles! They're dirty! So I've gotta scrub them... I thought it'd be appropriate to leave them out there."

The image of the shoes was projected into his thoughts again. "Damn.. that guy has huge feet.. how tall is he? Not even Tobio has that big of feet… " 

"Like.. 190 ish.." 

Hinata's soul evaporated out of his body in shock. "Woah! The only people I know who are that tall is the blond dude that's always listening to trap music in the library and the janitor who catches me crying in the washrooms! Your friend is huge!" 

"Yeah... I guess he is.." 

Hinata climbed off Yamaguchi’s lap and stretched his arms. “Well, I’ll get going then… I’ve got to do a few personal things so sleep tight! Bye-Bye!” 

“Bye…” Just like when he entered, the door was slammed shut behind him. A strained groan rumbled from his throat. “Shouyou is always invading this place. He has a habit of not knocking.”

“Why the hell is he so loud? Can he not slam the door like that?” Tsukishima’s muffled voice came from behind him. “Now I got the stench of my outside clothes on your bed.. How unfortunate…” 

The pillow was lifted from Kei’s face and once again their eyes met. Silence came between them once more but this time it didn’t separate them. Tadashi’s laugh brightened the situation and he reached out to adjust his glasses that were falling from his face. “I’m sorry, Tsukishima…” his voice was gentle. 

Instead of falling victim to his impulse of being hostile, Tsukishima let his emotions balance with a slight groan. The way his head was the only thing visible made him look like a baby. “Why does he have to make such a big deal about my shoe size.” He pouted.

“There’s nothing wrong with having  _ big  _ feet… I think a lot of people find it kind of attractive…” Tadashi winked. 

“Well it’s nice to know I have bigger _feet_ than his boyfriend,” he played along with the joke. 

It felt safe enough to go back to normal. Without thought, Tadashi pulled on the edge of the blanket that kept Kei tightly wrapped and pulled on it to unroll him. Unfortunately Tsukishima rolled off the bed and fell on the ground. A scream of terror came from Tadashi’s mouth. “Oh gosh! I’m so sorry! I should have been careful!” He got on his knees and rubbed his back to soothe the spot of impact.

“I hope that orange friend of yours won’t come in here again….” 

“He won’t! I fall off my bed a lot so he just ignores it now!” he admitted. "Now I feel bad about making you sleep on the ground! It's more comfortable up there, isn't it?"

Tsukishima nodded. "Yeah.. but I don't mind the floor.." 

"Did you... want to sleep beside me instead?"

"I mean.. as a chair connoisseur... I wouldn't pass up an opportunity for comfort... But I mean... I should sleep on the floor.." 

“I can give you your own sheets so it’s more comfortable for you! Don’t worry too much…” 

Tsukishima settled down and nodded. He began to open up and start talking more freely. "Hey… About my weekend show. Did you want to come? I can get you backstage.. just make sure no one comes with you.."

“R-Really?! I’ve never been backstage before! Should I bring gifts? Or do you want a snack? Do they feed you back there?! Oh gosh, I’m so excited!” 

“Calm down, Yamaguchi…” He laughed. 

Their eyes met yet again and their childish smiles made them chuckle in sync. Despite this being one of their first times hanging out as friends, their personalities were complementary and made it feel as if they were destined to find each other. 

* * *

  
  


The gym was full of people jumping and yelling at each other. It was a usual day of training hard for more than two hours, however, this time the entire team was feeling bitter about the previously lost game. The squeaking of shoes, the smell of rubber, and the faces of exhausted teammates, demonstrated their determination to win next time. Determination should have been fueling through Tsukishima’s body but he had no motivation whatsoever. While the rest of the team would band together like a pack of wolves, Kei often felt as if he didn’t belong. No matter how talented he was or if he had the height for the sport, the rest of the team believed he was mostly uninteresting. 

They were practicing for too long and too hard. A pain began to form in Tsukishima’s wrists because of the constant impact as well as the carelessness of his practice mate. Since he wasn’t bleeding no one would take the injury that seriously. An outsider was what he felt like, and the feeling was unpleasant. One final jump that made his feet throb was his sign to pack up for the day. A hand was raised to show he was leaving. The upperclassman looked disappointed but returned to his usual happy go lucky attitude when turning around. Talk of how boring Tsukishima was beginning to fill the gym. It made him want to puke and leave as soon as he could.

The footsteps of someone walking behind followed. Kageyama stared at him as they both walked towards the main doors. He zipped up his sweater and kicked one of the balls on the floor towards him to catch his attention. “Hey…”

The ball hit his ankle and made him inhale in exasperation. “What do you want? I’m leaving.”

“You were at my dorm last night, weren’t you?” He said boldly. The ball was thrown back to him and he caught it in his arms. “I recognized your stupid clown shoes and your stupid dinosaur keychains on your lanyard on the kitchen table.” 

Describing the shoes as that made the insult sting more than usual. “Why would I want to go to your dorm? I don’t like you that much.”

“Quit the act... What were you doing there? I’ll ask around the halls to prove you were there.”

“I wasn’t there. I was in the library studying all day... As if you’d know... You barely go to the library in general.”

“Did you come over to see Shouyou?!” Tobio raised his voice. “He came back before me... He said he had to get something done at home... What did he want from you?”

Tsukishima exhaled and laughed at Kageyama’s conclusion. “I have no idea who that is... I know he’s your boyfriend but I’ve never met him.”

He stared at him with suspicion. “I don’t trust you... I know you were there.. I’ll end you if you did anything while I was gone.”

“I’m not too sure you’re trying to accuse me of... But mind your own business… We aren’t that close so don’t talk to me like we’re buddies.” Before Kei left, he stopped and turned around with a grin on his face. “Your boyfriend isn’t even that cute… Why the hell would I be interested in him? Or are you just insecure? My feet  _ are  _ big but don’t be afraid, I’m not interested in him.”

Kageyama choked and tried to grab him but was too slow. “Y-You motherfucker!”

It was a bold claim to make— accusing a teammate of being a homewrecker. The wonders of improper investigating skills and the natural stupidity of man. It brought Kei to uncontrollable laughter which made people in the halls turn to him in confusion. Hinata Shouyou was the world’s most decent human being with below-average grades as well as height. Definitely not his type. An audible gasp startled him. When he turned around, he saw nothing… until he looked down to see a familiar orange-haired student.  _ Speak of the devil _ , he thought to himself. 

Shouyou’s fingers danced in many different directions but mostly settled on the ground. “Mr. Library Trap Music man! You’re the friend who Tadashi washed the shoes of! I mean, no offense, they still look kinda dirty so maybe you should make him clean them again.. But wow! I didn’t know you were friends with Yamaguchi! I think we’ve met before because you’re on the same team with Tobio so...” He waved at him with the impression that they were close even though they only ever had a one-worded exchange in the halls two months ago. “Hello, again!”

Tsukishima looked down at him like he was a bug. “Is there something you want from me? I’m a bit busy right now..”

“Well not really.. I just remembered your shoes so I wanted to say hello... “ He shuffled over and placed his foot beside him and gasped again in shock at the size difference. “Um.. yeah! Anyways… I’m glad that you’re friends with Tadashi.. He doesn’t really go out and make friends.. I try to make him go clubbing with me but he always looks like he’s thinking about going home.. It’s nice to know you’re hanging out with him! You are hanging out with him right?” 

The anger on Kei’s face faded into a shy smile when he thought of Tadashi. “Yeah… We’ve hung out a couple of times.” 

“Ah…” Shouyou’s eyes went wide after catching the undertones of his voice. "Yeah.. well.. I need to get going! It was nice talking to you--” 

“Tsukishima  _ fucking  _ Kei!” An angered voice interrupted them. 

“Tobio?” Shouyou muttered. “Why is he so angry at you?”

Tsukishima grabbed Hinata’s shoulder and gave him a grueling expression. “Hey… tell your boyfriend that I’m not flirting with you… he’s been under the impression I’ve been meeting you for personal reasons…”

“Tsukishima! How was practice?!” Another voice popped in. Tadashi came up from behind him but choked when seeing his two roommates. “Oh… Kageyama… Shouyou.. What are you doing here?” 

An extended arm was pointed directly at Tsukishima’s face. “This bland bastard,” Kageyama started strong, “you have major balls flirting with Shouyou right in front of me!” 

The four of them stood in silence. Bystanders watching them in the hall felt like knives stabbing Kei’s back. He wanted to run away but his feet felt as if they were glued to the floor. The whispering from students going along with the misunderstanding filled the air. 

“That’s not true. Why would you say that?” Yamaguchi finally spoke up with a confident voice. His warm hand brushed Tsukishima’s skin and slowly interlocked fingers with him. “He wouldn’t do that because he and I…. are dating, right?” 

Their eyes met and Kei finally felt all his anxieties lay to rest. Tadashi's eyes were unlike everyone else’s that often overlooked people like him. They were the only set of eyes who looked at him like he was of value. He squeezed his hand and nodded his head. “That’s right… we are…” 


End file.
